https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/8/1/44 Geobacillus sp. JF8 is a thermophilic biphenyl and naphthalene degrader. To identify the naphthalene degradation genes, cis-naphthalene dihydrodiol dehydrogenase was purified from naphthalene-grown cells, and its N-terminal amino acid sequence was determined. Using a DNA probe encoding the N-terminal region of the nahB dehydrogenase, a 10-kb DNA fragment was isolated. Upstream of , a gene for dehydrogenase, there were nahAc nahAd nahAc two open reading frames which were designated as and , respectively. The products of and nahAd were predicted to be alpha and beta subunit of ring-hydroxylating dioxygenases, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis of amino acid sequences of NahB indicated that it did not belong to the cis-dihydrodiol dehydrogenase group that includes those of classical naphthalene degradation pathways. Downstream of nahB, four open reading frames were found, and their products were predicted as meta-cleavage product hydrolase, monooxygenase, dehydrogenase, and gentisate 1,2-dioxygenase, respectively. A reverse transcriptase-PCR analysis showed that transcription of nahAcAd was induced by naphthalene. These findings indicate that we successfully identified genes involved in the upper pathway of naphthalene degradation from a thermophilic bacterium.

Mohammad, S., Fariba, F., Ebrahim, G.-N., Ali, S., Mohsen, Y.-M., Mehdi, S., 2019. Integrated biostratigraphy, depositional setting and geochemical analyses for petroleum potential evaluation of the Lower Cretaceous (Barremian - Albian) Strata of the Koppeh-Dagh Basin, northeastern Iran. Acta Geologica Sinica - English Edition 93, 1885-1899.

https://doi.org/10.1111/1755-6724.13823 Coal-formed gas generated from the Permo-Carboniferous coal measures has become one of the most important targets for deep hydrocarbon exploration in the Bohai Bay Basin, offshore eastern China. However, the proven gas reserves from this source rock remain low to date, and the distribution characteristics and accumulation model for the coal-formed gas are not clear. Here we review the coal-formed gas deposits formed from the Permo-Carboniferous coal measures in the Bohai Bay Basin. The accumulations are sca ttered, and dominated 8 3 by middle-small sized gas fields, of which the proven reserves ranging from 0.002 to 149.4×10 m with an 8 3 8 3 average of 44.30×10 m and a mid-point of 8.16×10 m . The commercially valuable gas fields are mainly found in the central and southern parts of the basin. Vertically, the coal-formed gas is accumulated at multiple stratigraphic levels from Paleogene to Archaeozoic, among which the Paleogene and Permo-Carbo niferous are the main reservoir strata. According to the transporting pathway, filling mechanism and the relationship between source rocks and reservoir, the coal-formed gas accumulation model can be defined into three types: 'Upward migrated, fault transported gas' accumulation model, 'Laterally migrated, sandbody transported gas' accumulation model, and 'Downward migrated, sub-source, fracture transported gas' accumulation model. Source rock distribution, thermal evolution and hydrocarbon generation capacity are the fundamental controlling factors for the macro distribution and enrichment of the coal-formed gas. The fault activity and the configuration of fault and caprock control the vertical enrichment pattern.

Montas, L., Ferguson, A.C., Mena, K.D., Solo-Gabriele, H.M., 2020. Categorization of nearshore sampling data using oil slick trajectory predictions. Marine Pollution Bulletin 150, 110577.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X19307258 Oil Spill Chemicals (OSCs) represent a risk to the environment and human health, especially in nearshore environments used for recreational purposes. Importantly, the starting point for human health risk assessment is to define the concentration of OSCs at nearshore locations. The objective of this study was to evaluate nearshore sampling data of OSC concentrations in different environmental matrices within time-space specific prior categories. The categories correspond to OSC concentration values for samples collected to nearshore post no time impacted oiling, nearshore oiling and at by oil as predicted by historic oil spill trajectories post generated by an Oil Spill Trajectory Model. In general, concentration values for the category were higher prior unimpacted than which were higher than . Results show differences in PAH concentration patterns within each matrix and for each category. Concentration frequency distributions for most chemicals in each category were log-normally distributed.